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Video:How to Ollie

with
David Willis

The ollie is not just the mother of all skateboarding tricks, it's also the technique you'll base most of your future tricks on. Find out how to master the ollie, what mistakes you'll probably run into, and how to solve them.See Transcript

Transcript:How to Ollie

Hi - My name is David Willis from Uptown Skate School, I'm here with About.com and I'm going to show you how to do an ollie.

What Is an Ollie?

Alright - the ollie is the most fundamental trick in skateboarding. All your tricks that you're going to learn in the future all come from being able to do the ollie.

Ollie Set Up

To do an ollie, what you want to do is have your feet set up on the board in a V-shape with the ball of your foot on the tail - the back of the board - and your other foot kind of pointed outward just behind the front bolts.

What you're going to do is you're going to bend your knees, kick down on the tail with your back foot, and slide your front up simultaneously as you jump. When you come down, you bend your knees, so that way you have more balance so you can ride it out. Bend your knees, kick down, keep your shoulders parallel to the board, and dragging your foot - definitely one of the most important parts because you want to level the board out while it's in the air. That way you land, all four wheels touch the ground at the same time.

How to Practice the Ollie

Ways to practice the ollie: if you're afraid of the board moving at first, try practicing in the grass, holding up against a fence, on the rug in your living room if your parents let you, and eventually just take it out into the street. And once you get it down stationary, just start giving a couple kicks - start moving slow - practice your ollies going slower and just bring up the speed and eventually you'll be doing it in no time.

Common Ollie Mistakes

Common mistakes people make are not bending your knees when you land, because if you land with your knees locked, you're just going to kind of bounce off the board. It's easier to balance if you're come down and bend your knees. So always remember, bend your knees when you start it, and have your knees bent when you end it. And just practice - practice makes perfect.

Tips for Doing an Ollie

Some tips to remember while doing the ollie: keep your feet in a v-shape, always remember - shoulders parallel to the board, bend your knees when you're setting up for it, bend your knees when you land. The closer your front foot to the back of the board, the higher your "pop," or the higher you're going to get up off the ground, but also the more you've got to slide your foot up forward. You've got to be able to account for that, too.

Timing: just remember that as soon as your foot hits the ground, you want to jump up, and have your foot slide up at the same time. And, that's the ollie.

I'm David Willis with Uptown Skate School - to see more trick tips check us out at About.com.

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